No, not that kind of massage. 
So as part of my massage education, I’ve decided to see what’s out there. I want to experience different massage styles and feel the different techniques used by people.
A few days ago, I had my first massage by a blind masseuse. These are quite famous here in Taiwan, and most of the massage places on the streets are staffed by the blind. They specialize in anmo — a general type of massage that is both pleasurable and mildly therapeutic. You will often see lots of older people getting foot massages in these places.
For those that live here in Taipei, the one that I went to this time is near the martial arts supply shop over near CKS memorial hall.
My impression is that the place was clean and seemed well-run. I didn’t see anything to worry about as I went in. That’s a big deal with me. I need to trust the place where I’m getting massaged. Although, it was very basic. You get what you pay for to some extent.
My masseuse led me to the table and I asked for “xiaban” massage — a massage for my lower back and legs.
He started me on my side and used a nice series of strokes. He would follow the meridians with his hands once with light pressure. Then he would go over the same meridians, stroking towards the feet, three or four times with increasing pressure. This allows you to get used to the pressure rather than someone just “clamping it on you” as usually happens in massage here in Taiwan.
He then worked on my legs and I noticed that I have some issues with my left leg. Lots of tension there. Unfortunately, when he felt that I was in pain there, he really backed off. I was hoping that he would ease the tension out, but he really played it safe. He then finished up my thirty minute massage by working on my feet a little.
A lot of foreigners here have complained about tuina massage (the more medical therapeutic type) as being way too harsh. It often hurts, the exact opposite of the relaxing massage that Westerners expect to receive. So for people that want a softer massage, I would highly recommend these blind massage places. The anmo was competently done and was only slightly uncomfortable at times. But if you’re looking for more serious massage for sports recovery, health issues, deep tissue, etc. then these places aren’t for you.
Finally, the price can’t be beat. I only paid NT$300 for thirty minutes. An hour is NT$600. They also do foot massages, naturally.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Q // Aug 5, 2007 at 1:08 am
For any kind of serious massages you’d really have to know that the guy is good. One of my ex-coworker had a deep tissue massage and apparently the person worked his ribs out of its webbing (not sure how to describe it). A doctor he consulted said there’s no way to put it back w/o surgery. My ex-coworker ended up dying at only 40 something of a heart condition. I somehow suspect it might have a relation to that issue.
2 Chad // Aug 5, 2007 at 3:47 am
Q,
There is actually recent evidence that the deep tissue massage can be harmful poeple. The really hard kneading and pressure has been seen to cause strains in the muscles, reverse veinous flow increasing the risk of vericose veins and vascular insufficency, and a few unintended reactions to the nervous system.
i don’t know if there would be a direct causal relationship with your friends untimely death and the massage, but, if he had a congenital heart problem that was undiagnosed, and he had his intercostals (the small muscles that are the “webbing” in the ribs you mention), I could see a good deal of added stres placed on the heart as they are involved with breathing. i don’t think there’s enough to sue though. And remember that heart failure is a pretty common cause of death.
The other thing that the webbing could be is the fascia around the thorasic cavity. That is also a common injury people seem to get from really hard massage.
3 Q // Aug 5, 2007 at 8:34 am
I’m not interested in a lawsuit. I’m not that close to my ex-coworker anyway. It just seems kind of dangerous to let less than first rate masseuse perform these kind of massages. I got a deep tissue massage book just out of curiosity and the list of warnings about potential hazards were quite long.
4 scott // Aug 5, 2007 at 11:50 am
Here is my 2 cents. Massage is 70% intuition. 30% technique. Body types vary enough so that some techniques work well for one person but are harmful for another.
I’ve also had massages by blind people. In Chengdu, several times I got one sitting in a chair which was exclusively tendon plucking. They guy started at my head and worked down to my feet plucking every tendon along the way. It’s stimulating and it gives you a kind of buzz. Fun.
I like to think of massage as education. It can really mess you up, or it can change your life for the better.
At this point in my life I rarely get massage because I’m doing my own internal experiments and it would be a rare thing to find a massage that could really support my experiments.
On the other hand, if you find someone who is really good it can really help your practice to work in an active way with that person over time.
5 Chad // Aug 6, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Q, the lawsuit thing was tounge in cheek. i meant that while the risks are well knwon and injuries occur at a much more frequent rate than most of us would like to believe, it’s hard to ammass hard evidence in such situations because when they happen, there are generally no observers not invovled with the process and it is ethically deplorable to cause injuries in test subjects to assess risks.
But you are correct. the list of counterindications is quite long.
6 Walter // Feb 28, 2008 at 3:48 pm
If you want to experience the most sublime massage of your life, go to the Traditional School of Thai Massage at Wat Po in BKK.
She’ll work you over (surprising for such small women), leaving you refreshed and looking forward to your next Thai massage.
7 wayne hansen // Feb 28, 2008 at 7:13 pm
what does a doctor do if his client dies leaving the clinic.
turn him round and make it look like he,s coming in.
im sure more people are harmed by incompetent doctors than massage theparists.
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